Assistant Director of Budget and Financial Analysis

The Columbia University Irving Medical Center, (CUIMC), www.cumc.columbia.edu, seeks a motivated leader with exceptional financial planning, budgeting, and organizational management skills to join the Office of Budget and Planning leadership as the Assistant Director of Budget and Financial Analysis. The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director of Budget and Planning and assists in the management of campus budget operations and in monitoring and reviewing budget-related financial information for CUIMC and/or specific projects as assigned

The Assistant Director…

Serves as the primary reviewer of budget and financial data for CUIMC schools and other CUIMC units as assigned in order to forecast financial trends and identify potential financial risks. Prepares analytical reports, including actual to budget variances, and revenue and expenditure trends.

Oversees and executes budget assembly for key CUIMC school functions. Serves as primary liaison with CUIMC schools for budget preparation and review tasks. Coordinates with client unit contacts and internal staff regarding deadlines and task requirements.

Supports the Senior Director in analyzing financial results of various business lines and in assembling accurate, detailed, and informative views of the overall financial position of CUIMC, incorporating the trends in underlying revenue streams and initiatives, such as grant funding and patient care. The Assistant Director prepares financial summaries, analyses, and forecasts for presentation to CUIMC senior executives.

Manages quality-control of CUIMC campus budget entries into University financial systems to ensure accurate and complete assembly of budget projections and serves as a liaison to CUIMC schools, other CUIMC units as needed, and the University’s central IT department on financial systems issues and financial accounting issues required for accurate entry and reporting of relevant financial data.

Maintains and improves Columbia's SMART (Strategic Management and Reporting Toolkit) Standards for accounting and reporting, including the methodologies by which school and departmental revenues and expenses are allocated to specific programs and faculty members. Advises and trains school and departmental staff on the use of these standards to ensure accurate reporting of campus financial activity as a means of advancing continued improvement of campus operations.

Develops and implements means to optimize the budgeting process, including working with the Financial Information Systems group to design enhanced reporting solutions. Suggests refinements to OBF's analytical content in order to enhance the understanding of the financial position of CUIMC schools and units.

Gains familiarity with complementary budgetary/financial functions, such as the capital budget or sponsored project awards, in order to assist with necessary analysis if required.

Qualifications

Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree, preferably in accounting- or finance-related field, as well as five years of progressively comprehensive financial planning responsibility in a large, complex organization. An MBA or comparable advanced degree is preferred. In addition, candidates should demonstrate superior financial analysis skills required, including the ability to prepare detailed financial reports that include qualitative discussions of financial drivers, budgets and variances, and forward-looking implications. Necessary experience includes budget and/or other financial analysis such as interpretation of financial statements. Expert-level computer proficiency (Microsoft Excel and Word) is required, including an in-depth knowledge of spreadsheet packages. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with a well-developed knowledge of quantitative analysis who is capable of working with minimal oversight to solve a problem or meet a need. Attention to detail and the ability to work closely and collaboratively with a diverse group of administrators are essential. Excellent oral and written communication skills are a must, as is the ability to analyze and explain complex financial information.  

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Columbia University is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity employer.

Qualified women and people of color are especially encouraged to apply.

Columbia University has retained Opus Partners (www.opuspartners.net) to support this recruitment. Craig Smith, Partner, and Neeta Mehta, Principal, are leading the search. Confidential inquiries, applications, and nominations should be sent by email to Craig (craig.smith@opuspartners.net) or Neeta (neeta.mehta@opuspartners.net).